


Follow My Lead

by Rachiella3



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Ballet, Ballet AU, F/M, Fluuuffff, I honestly just can't even contain myself, I really just love kiss scenes, kiss, please help me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-08
Updated: 2016-06-08
Packaged: 2018-07-13 21:07:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7137140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rachiella3/pseuds/Rachiella3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He whispered in her ear as they sailed across the stage floor. She knew the steps forwards and back. The music carried her feet with the rhythm and Adrien's confident hand pressed against the small of her back guided her movement but she was a jittery mess inside.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Follow My Lead

"Just follow my lead," he whispered in her ear as they sailed across the stage floor. She knew the steps forewards and back. The music carried her feet with the rhythm and Adrien's confident hand pressed against the small of her back guided her movement but she was a jittery mess inside. She smiled at him nervously and performed the many leaps and spins she had practiced over and over oh so many times before. It wasn't every day she got to dance with the hottest boy on earth and she had planned to make the most of it.

In an attempt to counteract her clumsy nature, Marinette had spent hours rehearsing the painstakingly difficult steps in her point shoes at home. She had devoted nearly all of her free time to it. The only thing she spent more time doing than practicing was designing her costume. As one of the leads, Marinette's tutu was different from the others' and she had received special permission from Madame Bustier to create her own design.

Her costume was a gorgeous deep red with black and silver sequins decorating the hem of the top most layer of the ruffled material forming the skirt. The bodice was trimmed with black lace at the top reflecting the dark but elegant and dreamy mood of the dance they were to perform. She was to play the heroine of an ancient legend that had been passed down for generations. The saviour of Paris who sacrificed her life in exchange for those of the people: Ladybug.

The tale itself was quite a gruesome and tragic story but there was an element of grace and beauty to it that drew Marinette in like a piece of string at the mercy of a kitten. She was hopelessly in love with the old fairy tale. Perhaps it was the mysterious romance of Ladybug and Chat Noir as they continually saved the citizens from the danger of Hawkmoth's akumas or the blissfully calm and beautiful way the heroes spoke together in the dead of the silent nights every month when the moon was full. Perhaps it was how wonderfully their midnight conversations were translated into such a stunning sequence of pirouettes and jetés that one couldn't help but gawk in amazement. Or, maybe, it was the magical air to the tale itself that clung to the inside of her soul and into the cracks in her bones.

Everything about it was just so fascinating!

As she and Adrien continued swirling around the stage, she felt her body melt into the music. Looking up, she couldn't help but smile as Adrien gazed deep into her ocean-blue eyes. His equally captivating green eyes surrounded by a void of black face paint creating a dark mask on his perfect face. She had a similar one aswell, hers red with a couple large black spots on its surface.

The butterflies in her stomach had seemed to calm and she enjoyed the moment alone she could spend with Adrien dancing on the stage where no one could touch them. She wished the music would play forever and they could stay immersed in the magic of the dance together. She wondered if he felt the same. Adrien had been forced to attend ballet classes by his father ever since he was little and it was rare that she saw him smile the real smile she'd only a couple times. She wondered if he felt the magic in the air the same way she did or if it was just another routine for him. Ladybug and Chat Noir were lovers after all. Marinette hoped from the bottom of her heart that he was enjoying the moment as well.

As they approached the end of the dance she felt the darkness and sorrow set over the audience as their movements slowed to a much more eerie pace. The cheerful and lively emotion was gone replaced with a cold, fearful atmosphere. She knew her role all too well and was prepared for exactly what was coming. The lights above the stage flickered and the thunder sound effects roared in the chaos. Performing her final spin, she twirled away from Adrien's open arms and onto the other side of the stage, falling gracefully and tragically to the ground. The ballerinas behind her danced around the stage in a frenzy of black and pink as they dragged their chiffon scarves through the heavy air.

Exiting one after another through the side wings, once again, the stage belonged only to her and Adrien. The dramatic music faded into a twinkling sad tune. Ladybug was dead.

His soft footsteps circled around her before pulling her up to a standing position. Draped over her shoulders was a light scarf that the other dancers had left on the stage and the white, mist-like fabric flowed behind her as she moved around Adrien, holding his hand, in sync with the soft and sorrowful music. The fog machine cloaked the stage in a grey mystery and it was Ladybug's time to return to the heavens. Chat was heartbroken. Finally, letting go of his fingertips, she ended their dance leaving her partner dressed in black alone on the empty stage. He performed the last heart-wrenching solo miraculously as the music faded to a compete stop.

A couple seconds passed as the final notes resonated through the hot air of the theatre and then the crowd erupted in applause. It was their last dance together as the graduating class Paris' most prestigious ballet school and they had worked their point shoes off to make sure it was perfect.

All the dancers joined Adrien on the stage and took their last bow together in the ginormous school theatre. She couldn't hold it in any longer and Marinette felt a thin tear slide down her cheek. Her last performance with everyone and she got to star in it, no less with the teenage heart throb, Adrien Agreste.

Beads of sweat crowned the foreheads of the two stars as they bowed, soaking in the praise from the vast number of parents and ballet enthusiasts in the crowd. They shared a momentary glance of victory before Marinette was forced to look to the ground to find something that didn't shine so bright it hurt her eyes.

As they all exited into the back room together, she felt a small pat on her back. Whipping around, she saw her best friend Alya had taken up the space between herself and Adrien. "Aw man," she exclaimed, "you were fantastic!"

The smile that was now probably permanently glued to her face grew even brighter hearing her encouragement. "Thanks!" Her cheeks were hot and red and she could feel the loose strands of hair sticking to the perimeter of her face.

Alya continued, "ten times better than stuck-up-Bourgeois could have done." The two giggled together at the thought of Chloé playing a hero that sacrificed herself for the good of others. Heavens, that girl probably wouldn't sacrifice a pair of shoes for the good of anyone.

Of course, the only reason Chloé hadn't danced the role was because she had broken her leg after falling in a complicated dance routine at another dance school. It was a weekend school and Chloé had been bragging about her personal tutors and training since the beginning of their first year. Chloé was originally selected to dance Ladybug's part - no doubt due to her father's social status - but when she broke her leg, Marinette, her understudy, was forced into the role and boy, was she ever glad she had been. At first she had been more than reluctant but dancing with Adrien was like all her dreams coming true in a single, perfect, blissful moment.

"Hey Marinette!" Adrien wormed his way through the sea of hot and sweaty dancers towards her. Seeing him, Alya made a point disappearing as soon as Marinette's back was turned, leaving her all alone with the boy of her dreams.

Best. Friend. Ever.

"H-Hey!" she responded, not wanting to risk stumbling over a full sentence in front of him.

"You did amazing out there!" His gorgeous smile radiating with bright excitement. He looked truly happy and she made a personal note to never forget what that expression looked like. It was her favourite out of all of the ones she'd seen over the past couple years.

"S-So did yo-you!" Was it too much to ask for to actually be able to spit out a coherent sentence while in his presence? Probably.

She felt his gaze land on her red and black tutu. "Wow, Marinette! I can't believe you actually made that yourself, it looks so beautiful!" Until that very day she hadn't shown her dress to anyone except Alya as she had been sewing extra sequins on up 'til the last minute. It was one of her best works if she did say so herself.

"Thank Adrien you- I mean thank you, Adrien!" she stuttered furiously. Why was dancing with him so easy but making small talk so hard? It was so frustrating.

Adrien laughed at her small slip-up and the tips of her ears began to turn pink again. He was adorable - even if he did have black face paint dripping from his eyes. She was definitely going to die once she got home. He grabbed her hand. "C'mon, Marinette! The audience wants to meet Ladybug and Chat Noir!" They wove their way in and out of people until they finally found the door that lead to the auditorium.

No sooner had they pushed their way into the large room a bunch of small children immediately crowded around their legs. Quickly, she identified two of them as Alya's younger sisters and another as the girl she frequently babysat, Manon. She laughed as they pestered her about Ladybug and the things that she did. Clearly, Ladybug was their hero and they adored her.

As she played with the kids and pretended to be the storybook super hero, Adrien noticed, not for the first time, how incredibly beautiful she was. The first time the realization dawned on him was when Marinette became the replacement Ladybug for Chloé. He had noticed how splendid she looked in red and how adorable yet oddly powerful she was when she wore Ladybug's signature pigtails. It had never occurred to him how wonderfully gorgeous she was and now he found himself thinking about it all the time.

"A-Adrien!" Her stuttering voice broke through his thoughts. "Is there s-something on my face?" A light rosy colour was apparent on her cheeks, barely visible under her thick stage makeup.

Shifting his gaze to one of the giant pillars in the opposite side of the room he answered, "no! Sorry, I was just thinking. Don't worry about it."

"Well, i-if you say so."

They continued to entertain the children and make small talk with some of the other adults and teens from the audience before finally retreating back to the green room together. Almost all the other dancers had left by that time and those remaining where all in the change rooms getting ready to leave.

They were alone. Again.

Trying not to hyperventilate, Marinette moved over to the giant mirror that took up half of the lowest wall and picked up a makeup removal wipe from the counter. She began to wipe off the slightly cracking red face paint off on her eyes when she turned back to face Adrien.

"A-are you gonna take of that m-mask or do you plan to walk home like that?"

"Oh yeah. Good point, Marinette." He stood next to her, grabbed a wipe, and started to scrub away at his face.

As much as she tried, Marinette never got tired of seeing his face but seeing him wash all the makeup off was just too much for her. Flustered, she turned away and continued to clean off her own stage makeup that was slapped on thicker than icing on a cake, trying not to stare at his reflection in the mirror. She focused on clearing the face paint from the creases beside her eyes and around the edges of her face. Adding yet another wipe to the growing pile of trash on the counter top, she looked over to see Adrien with smudges of black all along his hairline and under his eyes. He truly looked like he had come straight out of a horror movie.

Clapping her hands over her mouth, Marinette tried to suppress her laughter. Confused, Adrien raised an eyebrow at her in the mirror and she instantly regretted her entire life. "U-um, you missed a bit of your face paint."

He looked at the mirror before bursting into laughter himself. "I guess I did, didn't I?" Without makeup to hide begind, Marinette's face was a bright red, a shade rivaling that of Nathanaël's hair. "Could you get it for me?"

Naturally, Adrien had never had to take off any sort of makeup at his regular photoshoots since there were always people to do that for him so he had no clue what he was doing. She nervously nodded her head and leaned forward towards his face with a makeup removal wipe. He sat down on a stool so his eyes were level with hers and she could reach his face better.

_Too close! Too close! Too close!_

Every fiber in her body was screaming at her as she tried to keep her cool. Slowly, she dabbed at the face paint lining the top of his face before wiping most of it away in a single stroke. She folded the wipe in half and rubbed away the rest of it of with a little more force.

Their faces were so close.

As she moved towards the center of his face, Adrien closed his eyes so Marinette could properly wipe of all the smudged black paint that he'd missed. With his eyes shut, Marinette could admire his handsome face a little more than she could had he been staring her down with his emerald soul-windows of perfection.

She loved everything about him. He was kind, caring, patient, and understanding. He was always controlled and polite but when he danced it was like the wild side of him was let out all at once in an explosion of passion and emotion. She couldn't help but loving both sides of him - having a gorgeous face was an added bonus too! The only thing she hated about him was the fact that he would probably never return her feelings.

Totally lost in thought, she hadn't realized that she had completely forgotten her original task and her hand was frozen, motionless, on Adrien's cheek. He opened one eye to peek at the girl who was staring over his head in a dream-like state.

"M-Marinette, you've been resting your hand on my face for a while now . . . are you finished?" he asked, even though he could see his reflection in the mirror out of his peripheral vision and he clearly had smudges of black streaking from his left eye down to his chin.

She didn't respond.

"Marinette!"

"Huh?" She snapped back into reality before tripping over her toes and pushing Adrien to the ground, tumbling down with him as a loud crash resonated through the empty room. "Ouch," she mumbled quietly before she felt her face attempt to match the sun in temperature.

Her face was buried deep in Adrien's chest, he had caught her around the waist and protected her from most of the fall damage. They were sprawled out on the floor, most of her body on Adrien's while her legs were tangled around the upper half of the stool he had been sitting on. The front of the red tutu she wore was flattened into Adrien's knees and the back sticking vertically up in the air. It was probably ruined - at least their last performance was already over.

"I-I-I-I-I-I'm s-sorry, Adrien!" she stuttered as she looked up from his chest to his face. His breathing was slightly laboured and she felt horrible for making him take all the damage from the fall, especially under her weight.

Once his breaths steadied, he craned his neck to an angle where he could see Marinette's face. "N-no . . . problem," he choked out, his voice clearly strained. "Any . . . thing for you, Marinette." By this time, she was creating a whole new level on the blush spectrum.

This was Adrien's chance. A chance for him to finally figure out if his crush liked him back. Marinette felt his strong arms tighten around her waist and drag her upwards so that her feet unwound themselves from around the legs of the stool and her head was hovering just above his. "M-Marinette?" he breathed, his cheeks dusted a faint pinkish-red hue and his stutter partially due to his pain, and partially due to the unfamiliar giddy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah?"

"Do . . . do you think . . . you would ever-" the shade of his face growing closer and closer to hers, "-go out with me!?" He blurted the last part out so fast that Marinette thought she might have misheard him, despite being only a couple inches from his mouth.

Nervously, she nodded her head just a tiny bit, but enough for Adrien to see. His arms around her middle pulled her into a suffocating hug and he felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. _She liked him!_

Meanwhile, Marinette was completely questioning the reality of her current situation. Had Adrien really just confessed to her? There was no doubt left in her when she looked into his eyes though. Honest and pure, excited and over the moon - it would have been impossible hiding his feelings.

Suddenly, without any warning, Adrien reached up and kissed her. She was shocked, flabbergasted, and on the verge of passing out - she kissed back anyway. She had dreamed about this moment - not that she'd ever thought it would actually happen. It was a like a dance. A dance of feelings and emotions. Her lips fit into his like puzzle peices. There they were, both of them still in their stage costumes and Adrien, still with the leftover face paint around his eyes that had never fully been removed, and yet, it was the most perfect moment either of them ever could have asked for.

Marinette gasped for air as Adrien pulled away from her lips, a bewildered statement of shock and delight written across her face. Adrien himself seemed to have been surprised by his own actions but he'd had a devilish grin plastered to his face all the while. Just before he leaned back in for another kiss, he whispered something in her right ear. It was strained and raspy, spoken through heavy pants - the same words he said at the beginning of every dance they had ever danced together.

"Follow my lead."


End file.
